Valve spring lifter



April 23, 1935.

H. W. KULP ET AL VALVE SPRING LIFTER Filed March 23, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet1 C Def/ 516421; X. f ATTORNEY I A ril 23, 1935. H. w. KULP ET L1,998,547.

VALVE SPRING LIFTER Filed March 23, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 23, 1935 UNITED- STATES 1,998,547 I VALVE SPRINGLIFTER Harry w. Kulp and Martin 0. Dellinger, Lancastor, Pa., assignorsto K-D Manufacturing Company, Lancaster, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application March 23, 1933, Serial No. 662,332 7 Claims.(01.29-86.31

This invention relates to pry rod type valve spring lifters orcompressors for use in the removal and replacement of the valve springsincident to the operation of grinding the valvesof 5 automobile internalcombustion engines, and is primarily intended for use in connection withthe V-type of multiple cylinder engines.

In connection with at least one currently popular make of automobilehaving an engine of this V-type, in order to grind the valves it isnecessary to remove the valve springs from the motor block.

The primary objects of the present invention are to provide simplereleasable means for positively gripping a helix of the spring in thejaw whereby the spring will be positively held in said jaw until saidmeans is released to the end that Said spring may be certainly removedfrom place by the normal withdrawalof the lifter after the valve shallhave been raised; to provide a tool of this type with a protruding grippiece intermediate its ends to facilitate the manipulation of the tool;to provide a tool of this type in knockdown sections which may bedisconnected for ease of packing in a mechanics tool kit and which maybe rigidly connected to provide a long, solid, rigid pry lever; and tocombine the grip piece with the knock-down feature in such way as toreinforce the joint between the separable sections.

In the accompanying drawings, in which we have shown merely thepresent'preferred form of our invention simply by wayof illustration ofthe practice thereof, and with no thought or intention of being limitedto the specific form shown:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a lifter embodying our inventionapplied in operative position to lift a valve spring A of a V-typemultiple cylinder internal combustion engine illustrated in phantomlines; c

Figure 2, a top plan View of the lifter; v

Figure 3, a VlEWiOf the lifter partly in central longitudinalsection andpartly in side elevation;

Figure 4, a greatly enlarged fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig.2;

Figure 5, a fragmentary sectional view on substantially the same scaleand in the same plane as Fig. 4, showing a spring gripped in the jaw andthe operative relationship of the catch locking wedge and stop pin forthe latter;

Figure 6, a greatly enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view of thelock operating element I8 and related parts;

' Figure 7, a greatly enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of thegrip piece 3, the adjacent interlocking end portions of the sections land 2 and associated parts;

Figure 8, a longitudinal central sectional view of the parts shown inFig. 7;

Figure 9, an exploded View of the adjacent end portions of sections land 2; and

Figure 10, a sectional view on line ill-l of Fig. 9. 7

Referring now in detail to the drawings, l designates a preferablyU-shaped channel sheet metal bar section having downwardly dependingmanipulating or grip pieces or blocks 3 respectively swingingly engagingthe respective outer side faces of the sides or legs of its rear endportion, the portions of said blocks or plates depending below the undersurface of said section I being bent toward each other to lie face toface toward each other and preferably being spot-welded together asindicated at 3 whereby the upper portions of said manipulating grippiece 3 will be held in snugsliding embracing and reinforcing engagementwith said rear end portion of section l. A pivot pin 5 extends throughthe respective sides of the section I and the plates 3 adjacent theforward end portions of the latter and extends across the space betweenthe sides of the section I in spaced relation to theweb or bridgethereof, and the extreme rear end portions of the sides of section I areformed with slots 1. A second section or handle lever 2 substantiallyofthe same length as section I has its extreme forward end portions ofits side formed with slots 8 to receive in said slots the pivot pin 5and carries a pin 6 so spaced from its inner end as to be received inthe slots 1. As illustrated, the forward end portion of the section orhandle 2 will preferably be inwardly offset so as tobe received betweenthe sides of the rear end portion of the section I, see Figs. 2 and 9.

The handle or manipulation piece 3 is swinga-' bly mounted on the rearend portion of the section I by the pivot pin 5 and is normally held upagainst the lowerface of section I by a helical tension spring 2|located in an opening in handle 3 and'which has its lower end hookedinto or connected to any suitable anchoring means such as a lug 22secured to and between the plates of handle or piece-3 by any suitablemeans, for instance by spot welding as indicated 'at 3, and has itsupper end hooked into or connected to the lower end of alug 23 havingits shankthreaded downward through the web of the rear portion ofsection I andh'avingan enlarged upper end portion resting 'on the upperface of said web so as to anchor the upper endof spring 2| to sec- .tionl. v

The rear and upper portions of the plates comprising grip or handle 3are formed with vertical slots I extending across the slots 1 when thegrip 3 is in normal position as indicated in Figs. '7 and 9, the lockinghooks or fingers 9 left between said slots 7 and the extreme rear edgesof said plates extending substantially across the slots 1 to lock thepin 6 therein, and the rear upper edge portions of said hooks or fingers9 being rounded as illustrated so that pressure thereon by the pin Gwill serve to swing the grip 3 downward about the pivot pin 5 againstthe opposition of spring 21 until the pin 6 moves forward in slots 1 andinto the slots 7' and so beyond the hooks 9, when the spring 2i willswing the grip 3 up about its pivot pin 5 to normal position with thehooks 9 behind the pin 6 and so looking the same in slots '1.

The pin 8 will be formed with heads 6' and will be of such length thatin the assembled relation of the tool the opposed faces of the heads 6will be disposed laterally beyond the outer faces of the upper portionsof the grip or handle 3 adjacent the respective slots 7 and hooks orfingers 9, and said pin 6 may be centered and held in centered relationby any suitable means, for instance by spring clips 24 straddling andresiliently gripping the pin 6, there being two such clips 24 employedas illustrated in Fig. 10, one engaging the inner face of one side orleg of the section 2, so that the pin 6 will be maintained in centeredposition to extend equally beyond each side face of the section 2.

The section I will have its forward end portion formed with a bifurcatedjaw 4 to straddle the valve stem and engage between the helices of thespring or to'engage under the lower helix of the spring, althoughusually it will be engaged between the helices of the lower portion ofthe spring and to facilitate the insertion of said jaw 4 between theadjacent helices of the spring, the extreme forward end edges orportions of the furcations of the jaw 4 will preferably be beveled downpreferably to knife edges as illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

The section I is preferably bent at a wide obtuse angle so as to depressits forward end downward beyond the plane of its rear end portion,although this is not essential, and similarly the section 2 is bent at astill wider obtuse angle so as to depress its rear portion below theplane of its forward portion, although this also is not essential.

A latch or gripping member I is secured by any suitable means, such as arivet I2, to the section I, and extends forward into and overlies therear portion of the jaw 4 where it is provided with a rounded hookportion II. This latch or gripping member I 0 may be of resilientmaterial, although this is not essential so long as there be provisionfor movement of the hook portion II toward and away from the opposedface of jaw 4. A rivet pin l3 passes through the sides of the forwardend portion of the section I above the latch or gripping member I0slightly to the rear of the hook portion I I. A wedge member or block I4preferably normally extending below the pin it is adapted to bereciprocated between said pin !3 and latch or gripping member I0, andbetween the sides of the channel section I to lock the hook portion Iiof latch I0 over a helix of a spring A, as shown in Fig. 5, wherein therear upper surface of the wedge member I4 is in tight engagement withthe under face of the pin I3' and the extreme forwardend-of the lowerface of the wedge member I4 is in engagement with the upper face of thelatch I!) in a vertical plane-intersecting the gripped helix, althoughit is not essential that the wedge member I4 should engage the latchmember ID in a vertical plane intersecting the gripped helix, so long asthe engagement is such as to firmly clamp the helix in the tool andprevent separation thereof therefrom until the wedge member or block I4has been retracted to releasing position. In the construction shown thewedge block or member I4 is a resilient sheet metal member, but whilethis is preferred it is not essential, it simply being necessary thatthere shall be a wedge action and with this thought in mind any othermeans functioning in the same manner as the pin I3 may be substitutedforthe latter.

Any suitable means may be provided to reciprocate the locking wedgeblock or member I 4 to move it forward to locking position and to moveit rearwardly to releasing position. As one suitable means we provide adrag link or bar I pivotally connected at I6 by its forward end to thewedge member or block I4 and at its rear end portion similarly pivotallyconnected at I1 to and between the plates of the cam lever I8, which ispivotally mounted preferably adjacent the apex of the obtuse angle ofthe section I between the sides of the channel of the latter, thepivotal points I! and I9 preferably being so related that in each of itsextreme movements the pivotal point I! will move beyond dead center withrelation to pivot I9, so that when the wedge block I 4 is shoved forwardto locking position the pivot M will lie below and slightly in advanceof the pivot I9, as shown in Fig. 6.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that when the parts are in thecondition illustrated in Fig. 3, the jaw 4 may be forced between thehelices of the lower portion of the spring A and that incident to thatoperation the roundedfront side of the hook II will engage and ride upover one of the helices of the spring A which will then move backwardinto the jaw 4 until the hook portion II drops down in front of theportion of the helix, so interposed between the jaw 4 and latch I0, andthat thereafter the movement of the lever 20 to the position indicatedin solid lines in Fig. 6 will move the wedge block l4 to the lockingposition shown in Fig. 6 so firmly holding the spring in the jaw 4. Alsothat by moving the lever 29' to the position shown in Fig. 3 the wedgeblock I 4 will be retracted to its extreme rear position, so releasingthe latch II] which may then yield upwardly if necessary in order forthe rounded hook portion I I to move out of the path of the grippedhelix to permit the removal of the gripped spring A from said jaw 4.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever of substantially U-shape incross section and having an end formed with a bifurcated jaw adapted tospan the valve stem and to be inserted between the helices of a spring,in combination with a resilient latch permanently secured to the innerand upper face of the web of said lever and formed with a roundedforward downwardly presented hook portion at its forward end extendingacross a portion of said bifurcated jaw, said hook portion being adaptedto ride up over and drop down behind a helix of the spring to hold saidhelix between the opposing faces of said jaw and said latch, a stop pinextending across the channel in said lever slightly to the rear of saidjaw, a wedge block mounted for reciprocation between said latch and pinand adaptedto be moved to a position wherein it engages said stop pinwith the rear upper portion of its wedge face and engages said latch ina vertical plane intersecting a helix of a spring gripped between saidlatch and jaw, a cam plate pivotally mounted between the sides of saidlever to the rear of said pin and a drag link pivotally connected at itsrespective ends to said wedge block and cam plate respectively to causethe reciprocation of said wedge block in accordance with the movement ofsaid cam plate.

2. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever of substantially U-shape incross section and having an end formed with a bifurcated jaw adapted tospan the valve stem and to be inserted'between the helices of a spring,in combination with a resilient latch permanently secured to the innerand upper face of the web of said lever and formed with a roundedforward downwardly presented hook portion at its forward end extendingacross a portion of said bifurcated jaw, said hook portion being adaptedto ride up over and drop down behind a helix of the spring to hold saidhelix between the opposing faces of said jaw and said latch, a stop pinextending across the channel in said lever slightly to the rear of saidjaw, a wedge block mounted for reciprocation between said latch and pinand adapted to be moved to a position wherein it engages said stop pinwith the rear upper portion of its wedge face and engages said latchadjacent said hook portion, and means for reciprocating said wedgeblock.

3. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever having an end formed with abifurcated jaw, in combination with a latch mounted on said lever andformed with a rounded forward downwardly presented hook portion at itsforward end extending across a portion of said bifurcated jaw, a wedgeblock mounted for movement with relation to said latch, means limitingthe movement of said wedge block in a direction perpendicular to saidlatch, and means for moving said wedge block at will to any one ofseveral positions.

4. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever having an end formed with abifurcated jaw, in combination with a latch mounted on said lever andformed with a rounded forward downwardly presented hook portion, a wedgeblock mounted for movement with relation to said latch and means forlimiting the movement of said wedge block in a direction perpendicularto said latch in one operative position of said wedge block.

5. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever having an end formed with abifurcated jaw, in combination with a latch mounted on said lever andformed with a rounded forward downwardly presented hook portion andmeans for preventing the movement of said hook portion in a directionaway from the opposed face portion of said jaw, whereby an elementinterposed between said jaw and said latch to the rear of said hookportion may be securely held thereby.

6. A valve spring lifter comprising a lever having anend formed with abifurcated jaw, in combination with a latch mounted for movement on saidlever and adapted to grip between it and said jaw an interposed portionof a valve spring, and means for preventing movement of said latch awayfrom the opposed face of said jawwhen a portion of a valve spring isinterposed between said latch and. said jaw.

'7. A knock-down pry bar lever valve spring lifter comprising twoseparable sections of substantially equal length and substantiallyU-shape in cross section, one of said sections having its forward endportion formed with a bifurcated jaw, and having its extreme rear endportion formed with a pair of transversely registering longitudinallyextending slots, and the other section having its forward end portioninwardly offset to be received in the rear portion of the first sectionand having its extreme forward end portion formed with a pair oftransversely registering longitudinally extending slots, in combinationwith a pair of plates movably attached to the respective sides of therear portion of said first section and secured to each other below saidsection, the extreme rear portions of said plates being slottedvertically to intersect the slots in said first section, apivot pinextending through said plates and the sides of said first mentionedsection and normally being received in the slots in said second section,a pin passing through the walls of said second section and adapted to bereceived in the slots in said plates and said first section, andyielding means for holding the plates

